The Mettle of the Pasture

zation reckons age in the United States, and was well conserved, It held in high esteem its traditions of itself, approved its own customs, was pro

ined from slow processes of partition and absorption. These scant freeholds had thus their pathos, marking as they did the losing fight of successive holders against more fortunate, more powerful neighbors. Nothing in

ebb, a married but childless man who, thus exempt from necessity of raking the earth for swarming progeny,

the steep opposite side, a rectangle of land covering some fifty acres. It lay crumpled into a rough depression in the landscape. A rivulet of clear water by virtue of indomitable crook and turn made its way across this valley; a woodland stood in one corner, nearly all its timber felled; there were a few patches of grain so small

ance, lay two circular slabs of wood resembling sausage blocks, one half superposed. Over the door was a trellis of gourd vines now profusely, blooming and bee-visited. Grouped around this castle i

et crystalline air from dawn till after sunset the sounds arising from it were the clamor of a sincere, outspoken multitude of what man calls the dumb creatures. Evidently some mind, full of energy and forethought, had made its appearance late in the history of th

e front window-sill what had been the annual Christmas box of raisins had been turned into a little hot-bed of flowering plants; and under the panes of glass a dense forest of them, sun-drawn, looked like a harvest field swept by a storm. On the opposite window ledge an empty drum of figs was now topped with hardy jump-up-johnnies. It bore some resemblance to an enormous yellow muffin stuffed with blueberries. In the garden big-he

n of everything beautiful and fruitful, the peaceful Joan of Arc

ep all that there is in it for tired, healthy children. In the room below, her father and the eldest boy were resting; and through the rafters of the flooring she could hear them both: her father a large, fluent, well-seasoned, self-comforting bassoon; and her brother a sappy, inexperienced bassoo

nable party even in the country. But her engagement to Dent Meredith already linked her to him socially and she felt the tugging of those links: what were soon to become her rights had begun to be her rights already. Another little thing tr

pon Dent's mother, and the thought of this call preoccupied her with terror. She was one of the bravest o

ing in the windows at night, the tales that reached her of wonderful music and faery dancing; the flashing family carriages which had so often whirled past her on the turnpike with scornf

othing better than fussing guineas. She had never come nearer to one of those proud birds than handling a set of tail feathers which Mrs. Meredith had presented to her mother for a family fly brush. Pansy had good

s of the children of the poor, "Old Woman, picking Geese," she would dream of the magical flowers which they told her bloomed all winter in a glass house at the Merediths' while there was ice on the pines outside. Big r

en, and the others followed so closely that they pushed her out of her garments. A hardy, self-helpful child life, bravened by necessities, never undermined by luxuries

linging with tears to her in a poor, darkened room-she to be

ver bitter and weary miles, getting their ravenous minds fed at one end of the route, and their ravenous bodies fed at the other. If the harness broke, Pansy got out with a string. If the horse dropped a shoe, or dropped himself, Pansy picked up what she could. In town she drove to the blacksmith shop and to all other shops whither business called her. Her friends were the blacksmith and the tollgate keeper, her teachers-all who knew her and they were few: she had no time for friendships.

lonely burning of her candle far into the night as she toiled over lessons. When she had learned all that could be taught her at the school, she left t

on this spot the land had lessened around them; but the soil had worked upward into their veins, as into the stalks of plants, the trunks of trees; and that clean, thrilling sap of the earth, that vitality of the exhaustless mother which never goes for nothing, had produced one heaven

sion of this lofty child who now lay sleepless, shaken to the core with t

k next mornin

was the short and direct way, and Pansy was used to the short and direct way of getting to the end of her desires. But, as has been said, she had already fallen into the habit of considering what was due her a

the elbow to the wrist there hung green pouches that looked like long pea-pods not well filled. Her only ornament was a large oval pin at her throat which had somewhat the relation to a cameo as that borne by Wedgwood china. It represented a white

g, and the forenoons were long. Nevertheless impatience consumed her to encounter Mrs. Meredith; and once on the way, inas

rchief, which she had herself starched and ironed with much care; and gathering her skirts aside, first to the right and then to the left, dusted her shoes, lifting each a little into the air, and she pulled some grass from around the buttons. With the other half of her handkerchief she wiped her bro

ttempt to cross the Meredith threshold, stood a peacock, expanding to the utmost its great fan of pride and love. It confronted her with its high-born composure and insolent grace, all its jewelled feathers flashing in the sun; then with a little backward movement of its royal head and convulsion of it

me to marry you!" thought Pans

s not expecting visitors; she had much to think of this morning, and she rose wonderingly a

ith wistful eyes at the great lady who was to

holding herself somewhat in the attitude of a wooden soldie

om Mrs. Meredith's fa

ed hands she ad

s; "it is very kind of you to come and see me, and I am

e bust: each wall was lined with portraits. She passed

the bottom of a chair seemed to be in that household, there it was-if it was anywhere. Actuated now by this lifelong faith in literal furniture, she sat down with the utmost determination where she was bid; but the bottom offered no resistance to her desc

frankly admitting the fault, "but

ing, Pansy," said Mrs. Meredith, op

my hands. I'd rather suffer and do something else. Besides, you know I am used to walking in the su

he opportunity to make easy vagu

udy it must be," she

Pansy; "why, Mrs. Mer

understa

ome botany was as familiarly appre

aintance it was the prime duty of each not to lay bare the others' ignorance, but to make a little knowledge appear as great as possible. It was discomfiting

did not learn much botany; but they paid

manners?" inquired Pansy, with ruthless enthusiasm. "It is such a mistake to stop

up. She has a house and husband. The girls of my day, I am afraid,

hildren I may have,"

e-up-botany! Besid

y botany only during t

he broke of

ress nervously and sought to

taking a gloomy view of the present moment an

characters and eventual positions in life. She liked her own name "Caroline"; and she liked "Margaret" and all such womanly, motherly, dignified, stately appellatives. A

eat love of flowers. She named me for the best she had. I hope I shall never forget that," and Pansy look

s religion from privations, accepted hardship as the chastening that insures reward. But that her mother's hands should have been folded and have

th, breaking that silence, "and I am glad you told me

is season seemed to offer her an inoffensive escape. She felt that she could handle it at least wi

me pride that we all do in

ved herself to be on trial before Mrs. Meredith this morning, it was of the first import

h," she replied. "I study it a great deal. But of course

ughed with frank

I believe school-teachers understand these things. I am afraid I am a very ignorant

s of how the Mastodon once virtually lived in our stable, and th

ir bed-is that the name? Such things never seem to have troubled Solomon, and I believe he was reputed

know things that Solomon never hea

dge that made him rather celebrated, but his wisdom. But I am not up in S

ove with somewhat the stiffness of a tilted bottle and somewhat the contour.

ything but ignorant. Being ignorant was to her mind the quintessence of being common; and as she had undertaken this morning to prove to Dent's mother that she was not common, she had only to prove that she was learned. For days she had prepared for this interview with that conception of its meaning. She had converted her mind into a kind of rapid-firing gun; s

er cartridges home! Mrs. Meredith would think her ignorant, therefore she would think her common. If Pansy had o

d the other so dreaded. Pansy might merely have hurried over to ask Mrs. Meredith for the loan of an ice-cream freezer or for a setting of eggs. On the mother's part this silence was kindly meant: she did not

into the hall, she stopped wit

should so much like

has often spoken

stood looking at it side by side. She resisted a slight impulse to put her arm

k you will e

the door. "You must

the sun is

icious glance at the cushions: Meredith upholstery

must come to see me soon again, Pansy. I am a poor v

to her seat

ad a way of knowing at once, as regards the character of people, what she was e

ile she was here. But oh, everything else! No figure, no beauty, no grace, no tact, no voice, no hands, no anything that is so much needed! Dent says there are cold bodies which he calls planets without atmosphere: he has found one to revolve about him. If she only had some clouds! A mist here and there, so that everything would not be so plain, so exposed, so terribly open! But neither has he any clouds, any mists, any atmosphere. And if she only would not so try to expose other people! If she had no

"This carriage is not to be sat in in the usual way," she said. And indeed it was not. In the family rockaway there was constant need of mus

ves around the house had suffered a great wrong, and they were attempting to describe it to each other. The instant Pansy descended from the carriage the ducks, massed around the doorsteps, discovered her, and with frantic outcry and outstretched necks ran to find out what it all meant. The signal was tak

ving a wailing wake. She locked herself in. It was an hour

's mother. The other things, all the other things-would she ever, ever acquire them! Finally the picture rose before her of how the footman had looked as he had held the car

id I criticise the way the portrait was hung? And she will think this is what I really am, and it is not what I am! She will

as they were in the woods togethe

, "I was afraid she would not like me. Ho

t thinking and his honest speech, "but I can see that she trusts you

ed. I did myself

g you never did

hat northern hill overlooking the valley in which she lived. Near by was a woodland, and she had

expect to begin to build in the autumn. I have ch

one reason, I can always s

a good custom for this country as it was a good custom for our forefathers in England. But I get an equivalent and am to build for myself

ts grow on eac

It grows deeper every year and we do not know what it means. That is, my mother and I do not know. It is some secret in Rowan's life. He has n

pulsively clasped his hand. He returned the pressure and then their pal

n as trees walking? Rowan seemed to me, as I recall him now, to have risen out of the earth through my father and mother-a growth of wild nature, with the seasons in his face, with the blood of the planet rising into his veins as intimately as it pours into a spring oak or into an autumn grape-vine. I often heard Professor Hardage call him the earth-born. He never called any one else that. He was wild with happiness until he went to college. He came back all changed; and life has been uphill with him ever since. Lately t

d she been all her life but

thi

can, will y

e you have kept none from me. I believe that if I could read e

ething I try to hide from every human being and I always shall. It is not a bad secret,

clear with unshakable co

king of her mo

awhile in

y across his palm, pondering Life. Then he began to talk to h

e to think of Him as having no mysteries. We have no evidence, as the old hymn declares, that He loves to move in a mysterious way. The entire openness of Nature and of the Creator-these are the new ways of thinking. They will be the only ways of thinking in the future unless civilization sinks again into darkness. What we call secrets an

t he was drawing her to his way

he religions of the future will have no veils. As far as they can set before their worshippers truth at all, it will be truth as open as the day. The Great Teacher in the New Testament-what an eternal l

om you, Pansy, as Rowan has his and hides things from us. Life is full of things that we cannot tell because they would injure us; and of things th

re I am talking about the future of the human race, and we

beautiful cerem

rch?" he asked with great

is own; and rather than have one of them write mine, I

hould," he s

pocket: "Perhaps you will like this: a g

s and queens, for the greatest and the best peo

ed this," and he read to her

nished nei

them the noiseless growth of needful things; above them the upward-drawing l